The Montgomery County Department of Transportation will start its annual leaf collection campaign in the designated collection district on Monday.
Weather permitting, each service area will have two collection days in November and December.
The collection district includes I-495, I-270, the Rockville limits, Norbeck Road, Bel Pre Road, Bonifant Road, Northwest Branch Park, and the boundaries of D.C. and Prince George’s County. Residents can find more information and the collection schedule for their neighborhood by entering their street address online.
“Fall is a beautiful time of year in Montgomery County, and as trees shed their leaves the County is here to help,” County Executive Marc Elrich said in a press release. “The County offers this free service to residents to keep our infrastructure clear and offer a sustainable solution to leaf disposal. Leaves collected by our crews will be composted and mulched at a local facility. And, we offer information on the benefits of leaving leaves on site.”
Residents should pile leaves near the street, avoiding the road, shoulders, bike lanes, and rain gardens. Misplaced leaves can disrupt traffic, affect drainage, hinder snow removal, and pose fire hazards for parked vehicles.
Also, avoid including trash or non-leaf organic material, including sticks, branches, and garden debris; those items should be placed in containers or tied in bundles no more than four feet long and set out for yard trim recycling pickup.
Residents who miss the scheduled vacuum collections or live outside the leaf vacuuming area can have their leaves picked up by placing them in paper yard trim bags or reusable containers to be collected on their regular recycling and yard trim collection day.
Plastic bags will not be accepted.
Residents can also bring properly bagged leaves to the Shady Grove Transfer Station; another option is to mow fallen leaves into the yard, allowing them to compost naturally.
Additional resources on how to use fallen leaves are available on the My Green Montgomery website.
“Last leafing season, crews collected more than 92,600 cubic yards of leaves,” MCDOT Director Chris Conklin said. “The collected leaves are then mulched and composted to create Leafgro, which is sold at retail stores throughout the county, and helps fund our leaf collection program. I appreciate our residents’ help in collecting leaves so we can dispose of them responsibly.”
To check if a property is within the leaf vacuum collection district or to view the collection schedule, visit montgomerycountymd.gov/leafing or call 311.
Photo: © Romo Lomo – stock.adobe.com